Matthew/
16

Even as the Western world grows increasingly hostile to the Christian faith, we must still remember—and thank God for—the freedoms we enjoy. We do not yet risk our lives by confessing Christ, but that is not true for ...Read More

There are two extremes when it comes to church authority. One extreme says
that the church is always right no matter what it says. The other extreme says
the church has no authority over the individual Christian. God’s Word tells ...Read More

That Jesus did not act in the precise way that His contemporaries expected
only indicates that God is not bound to conform to our false expectations of
Him. The only expectations we may rightly have of Him are those defined ...Read More

We still wait for the visible, bodily presence of Christ, but that does not mean the kingdom is not present at all right now. Though its fullness has not yet been realized, the kingdom has come, and, indeed, it continues ...Read More

Evangelicals often stress that Jesus has died for our sins, but it can be easy to forget that He was also raised for our sins. As we share the Gospel, let us remember to present the truth of the resurrection ...Read More

When we study Scripture, we should be careful not to let the excesses of opposing positions unduly influence our own applications of the text. All the teachings of those with whom we disagree may not necessarily be wrong, and we ...Read More

It is not always easy to recognize false teaching because those who teach error often mix it in with some legitimate truth. That is why we must be well grounded in the doctrines of Scripture, for if our grasp of ...Read More

Matthew Henry comments, “It is an instance of the deceitfulness of the heart, to think that we should be influenced by the means and advantages which we do not have, while we slight those which we have.” The Sadducees and ...Read More

If we are to know the truth, we must sit at the feet of our prophet, Jesus. If we are to be reconciled to God, we must approach Him through the sacrifice of our priest, Jesus. The battle against sin ...Read More

Whoever values his own life more than Jesus will actually lose it (Matt. 16:25). Martyrdom seems foreign to us in the United States, but it is a daily reality for many in this world. Pray that suffering believers would ...Read More

Jesus did not keep His identity hidden from everyone, but revealed it to those who would be less likely to expect a political revolutionary (for example, John 4:26). In order that you would not have false expectations about Jesus ...Read More

Each aspect of the fruit of the Spirit—that is, each aspect of you as you are transformed—is nurtured
through personal relationships. Because Christian character does not develop in a void, take the
initiative to become involved regularly in ...Read More